Graduation Day

May 2, 2020. Graduation Day. 

Today is my Graduation Day. The day I should have put on my black cap and gown with my orange stole, masters hood, and green philanthropy cord, and walked proudly across the stage at my Alma Mater to officially graduate with my Masters in Education. And yet, here I sit, in my living room. 

No pomp. 

No circumstance. 

No rush to get to the school on time. No big room filled with chairs, a stage, and loud, proud families. No pictures, no emotional Arch Ceremony (a UF tradition dating back nearly 100 years), no physical diploma placed in my hand. 

Just Muffin’s soft purr against my leg coupled with the stark, silent reminder that the majority of the world is still closed because of the global pandemic of COVID-19. Graduation is not happening. 

And honestly, I’m heartbroken. 

I understand I’m not a high school senior or a senior in college, missing these incredible milestones. I was blessed to have those special moments and I cherish them fondly. Trust me, my heart breaks more for them than it does myself. But I’m still sad. 

I worked hard for this. Really hard. Never in my life did I think I’d hold a Master’s degree. Not because I’m not smart, or didn’t have the opportunities, but simply because academia wasn’t the end all be all in my home growing up (which I’m very grateful for). Don’t get me wrong, mom knows the value of an education and she always pushed us to be and do our very best but learning did not come easy for me as a kid. I struggled a lot – with focus, retention, dates, and tests. I didn’t find it interesting then and saw school more as a chore I had to do rather than something that was a privilege to do. And privileged I am. Believe me, I know how blessed I am. 

When I was in highschool, college wasn’t something I was working towards. It wasn’t something I dreamed about or strived for or even really gave much thought to. I was a B and C student most of my highschool career but History or English and it was all downhill from there (I’m talking D’s if I was lucky). The school guidance counselor didn’t even talk to me about college. In fact, I approached her when all of my friends were talking about meeting with her and researching colleges. And then mom and I decided to go on a road trip around Ohio visiting my top choices. Mom wanted college for me as long as I felt it was the right next step.

We visited a lot of schools and on the way from one to the other, she convinced me to stop at The University of Findlay in western Ohio. I’ll never forget that day. Immediately after she parked in the Admissions parking lot, I loudly declared “Mom, I can’t go here. This school is a courtyard. It’s not big at all!”…

What’s that quote? “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans?” Ha. God is hilarious. Just a few short months later, I was moving in to Bare Hall with my new roommate, Lacey and little did I know how much my life would be changed by UF. The University of Findlay has given me some of the most important things and relationships in my life. But that’s a story for another time. The point is, at a time when so many of my friends were in AP classes, padding their college applications with volunteer work and extra curriculars, I was simply trying to figure out who I was, and probably thinking about boys and clothes. I never thought I’d go to college, let alone graduate. But I did. I’m a first generation college graduate. 

And now here I am, a straight A graduate with a Masters in Education. A Masters of Education pursued while working a full-time job and trying to maintain some semblance of a life. Who knew? Not my 16 year old self, that’s for sure. There may not be any pomp or circumstance today, but there will be, eventually. And in the meantime, I’ll remain incredibly grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given and incredibly proud of all that I’ve accomplished. 

It may not be the celebration we’ve planned for, but our class will be talked about for years and years to come and we’ll be remembered as the class that got creative with their commencement. So here’s to the 2020 graduates! Hats off to you. I have no doubt we’ll go on to do great things and I look forward to the day we can celebrate together.

Congratulations, Class of 2020!